1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to light reflectors and more particularly to reflective strips adapted to be attached to a solid object in order to render that objects more visible under low light conditions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Reflectors are commonly used to mark vehicles such as buses, trailers, and trucks, as well as such stationary objects as mailboxes, fences, and signs. The reflectors are designed to render the objects more noticable under low light conditions by reflecting back to a viewer a significant portion of the light falling upon the reflector. One of the most successful ways of accomplishing this reflection with the minimum of light loss is to employ a transparent reflector lends having an internal structure adapted to redirect and reflect light by means of internal reflection. When a comparatively small reflector is sufficient to adequately mark an object, such a lens molded from transparent plastic or glass often can be used successfully.
Plastic and glass reflectors generally are rigid and relatively fragile, and it is often desirable to contain them within some sort of protective frame. Such frames, however, are cumbersome and inconvenient where a long reflective strip is desired. A glass or plastic reflector several feet long, for example, is undesirably vulnerable to breakage during shipment or application. Such a reflector twenty feet long proves entirely unmanagable. Consequently, reflective tape is commonly employed to produce long reflective strips. The tape is difficult to attach firmly to rough objects, however, and is more vulnerable to weather and minor abrasion than is a glass or plastic reflector within a protective frame. Often when one section of a long piece of reflective tape has become loosened, the entire strip is pulled off as the loose end whips in the wind. Furthermore, special washing or other surface preparation is often necessary before tape can be applied to an object such as a truck, the outer surface of which is often coated with oil and dirt from use on the road.